Process for preparing methylamines



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F5 1: uo w wudim w m y w m m w m w w m o o m w M M D. m w w 4 2 00 5 S2; z2 :a. of" zofun zz 252 30: u m 5 m fim m o im m E. F. SMITH PROCESS FOR PREPARING METHYLAMINES Dec. 14, 1948.

Filed July 5, 1945 0, INVENTOR.

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CONVERSION BASIS AMMONIA,

Fatentecl Dec. 14, 194

PROCESS FOR PREPARING METHYLAMINES Everet Foy Smith, Terre Haute, Ind., assignor to Commercial- Solvents Corporation, Terre Haute, Ind, a corporation of Maryland Application. July 5, 1945, Serial No. 603,372

1 Claim. 1 This invention relatesto a process for the catalytic'synthesis of methylamines, and more particularly to a method for inhibiting the formation of trimethylamine therein.

The catalytic synthesis of methylamines has been carried out commercially by passing mixtures of substantially anhydrous methanol and ammonia in the vapor phase over an amination catalyst. The resulting product comprised. a mixture heated, vaporized, superheated, and led over an.v

amin-ation catalyst at the desired temperature and space velocity; and after reaction, the prodof mono, di-, and trimethylamine. in nets are collected in accordance with. known For economic reasons, it is sometimes desirable procedures, as by cooling and condensing, or by to produce the primary and secondary amines in absorption in acid. preponderant proportions, to the partial or com- The proportion of water utilized may vary over piete exclusion of the tertiary amine. a wide range, and I find that the proportion of I have now found that the formation of the trimethylamine in. the product decreases with tertiary amine can be substantially reduced acincreasing quantities of water. However, excescording to my invention, in which a quantity of sive quantities of water reduce the .total conwater or steam is incorporated with a mixture of version to amines appreciably, so that I prefer methanol and ammonia prior to the initiation of to utilize a mole ratio of ammonia:alcohol:water the amination reaction. of between about 241:1 to 211:2.

' The mutual dehydration of methanol and am- In the drawings, Fig- I shows the variations monia to form methylamines is believed to prowith respect to space velocity in the total conceed by a stepwise mechanism. Water is believed version of ammonia to methylamines at the indito be eliminated first between methanol and amcated concentrations of Water in the feed mix, monia to form monomethyl'ami'ne; then between ture. Fig. 11 illustrates the total conversionv of monomethylamine and methanol to form dimethanol to methylamines, under the same con nie-thylamine; and finally between dimethylamine ditions, and Fig. 111 illustrates the proportion of and methanol to form trimethylamine. From trimethylamine in the product amines likewise thermodynamical considerations, theaddition of under the conditions: indicated.v water to the feed mixture should tend to repress The data in Table I below, interpolated from all of the reactions, and (depending on the rela- Figures I, II, and III, illustrate the inhibitingtive rates of reaction and the relative equilibria) effect of various ratios of water in the feed mixit might produce a substantial alteration in the ture at three different space velocities on the product. composition. proportion of tertiary amine produced in the I have now found, unexpectedly, that the addi-- am'ination of methanol.

TableI S R tic 5 Conversion 3 Trimethyl- Temp., Pressure, I l a I a ammem 0O lblmzgage k r g On NHa, On MeOH figlt a Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent 6, 000 450 200 211:0 16. 3 5s 23 211 15.3 4s 1s 2:1:2 13.8 41 12 10, 000 450 200 21:0 14. -2 4s 19 21:1 12.2 37 21:2 11.0 31 1o 15, 000 450 200 am 11. 4 36 16 2:11 8.4 23 11 2:1:2 7.5 19 8 tion of water to the feed mixture of methanol The pressure utilized for the conversion is not and ammonia acts primarily relatively seleccritical. P'ressures from about 10 lb. per square tively to repress the formation of the tertiary inch up to about 200 lb. per square inch, gage, amine, and to interfere comparatively little with have been found satisfactory. However, total the formation of the primary and secondary conversions are somewhat higher at the higher amines. superatmospheric pressures, other conditions be- In carrying out my process I. first introduce ing the same gasses are usually obtained in the preferred range of about 425 0. to 500 0.

The amination catalyst may be any suitable vapor-phase amination catalyst such as those commonly used in the preparation of methylamines by the reaction of armnonia and methanol in the vapor-phase, such as, for example, alumina,

aluminum phosphate, and phosphoric acid sup ported on an inert carrier such as kieselguhr or the like. One of the most effective of these is 'y-alumina. V

' My invention may be illustrated by the follow ing specific examples:

Ea'ample I Into a jacketed pressure vessel were charged successively 32 parts by weight of methanol and 34 parts of liquid ammonia, corresponding to an ammonia: methanol molar ratio of 2:1. After thorough blending, this feed mixture was heated by circulating hot water through the jacket until the pressure within the feed tank was 200 lb. /in. gage. A stream of liquid was then led from the bottom of the tank successively through a preheater, a vaporizer, and superheater, from which it emerged as a stream of vapor at 450 C. The hot vapors then entered the converter, which contained 0.001886 ft. of space filled with a catalyst, heated to 450 0., consisting essentially of 'y-alumina compressed into the form of 4. -inch umes of gaseous reactants, corrected to 0 1. and 760 mm. absolute, per volume of catalyst, per hour) the total conversions to methylamines were 17.3% based on ammonia, and 60% based on methanol; and of the amines produced, mole percent were trimethylamine.

. Example II A mixture of 32 parts by weight of methanol, 18 parts of water, and 84 parts of liquid ammonia, corresponding to an amm0nia:methanol:water molar ratio of 2:1:1 was prepared and passed over an alumina catalyst as described in Example I. At the end of a sampling period of 26.3 minutes, a product sample measuring 1350 ml. had.

been collected, and on analysis was found to have the following composition:

Moles/liters Ammonia 1.752 Monomethylamine 0.1977 Dimethylamine L 0.0713 Trimethylamine 0.059

pellets, and capable of bringing about a mutual,

dehydration of methanol and ammonia to form methylamines. From the converter, the gaseous products of reaction passed through a condensercooler, and the cooled products were absorbed in a series of two flasks, the first containing 800 ml.

1 of 3N hydrochloric acid, and the second containing 450 ml. of 0.2N hydrochloric acid. At the end of a sampling period of 23.8 minutes, the contents of the two flasks were mixed, giving a total volume of 1345 ml., and on analysis, the sample was found to have the following composition:

- Moles/liters Ammonia 1.588 Monomethylamine 0.1726 Dimethylamine 0.0754 Trimethylamine 0.084

From the above data, it was calculated in a known manner that the space velocity through the converter catalyst-zone was 4100/hr., ST? (4100 vol- From the above data, it was calculated that the space velocity was 5390/hr., STP; the total conversions to methylamines were 15.8% based on ammonia, and based on methanol; and of the amines produced, 18 mole percent were trimethylamine.

Example III Moles/liters Ammonia 1.616 Monomethylamine 0.1761 Dimethylamine 0.0539 Trimethylamine 0.034

From the above data, it was calculated that the space velocity Was 5540/hr., STP; the total conversions to methylamines were 14.0% based on ammonia, and 41% based on methanol; and of the amines produced, 13 mole percent were trimethylamine.

The results of these examples, together with the results from nine other experiments which were carried out in a similar manner, are presented in Table II, further to illustrate my invention; and the tabulated data have also been plotted in three charts, Figures 1, II, and III, respectively, previously referred to.

Table II R tio S Conversion Trimethyla pace amine in NH rMeOHzHzO Temp., o aggi g Velocity Product,

(molar) 1112- STP On NHa On MeOEI mole Per cent Per cent Per cent While the above describes the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the specification and claim.

I claim:

In the catalytic synthesis of methyl amines, the process which comprises mixing methanol and ammonia in the molecular proportions of about 1 to 2, vaporizing the mixture, passing the vaporized mixture over an alumina catalyst at a temperature within the range of about 425 C. to about 500 C. and under high atmospheric pressures and relatively repressing the formation of trimethyl amine in said process by adding to the reaction mixture, prior to passage over said catalyst, water in amount ranging from about 1 to 2 moles per mole of methanol.

EVERET FOY SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Darrell, J. Chem. Soc, vol. 127, pages 2399- 2407.

Chemical Abstracts, vol. 31, (1937), page 4953. Ehret, W. F., Smiths College Chemistry (D.

15 Appleton Century Company, 6th ed., 1946) pages 232 and 236.

Parker, G. D. et al., Mellors Modern Inorganic Chemistry (Longmans, Green & Company, 1946) pages 213-217, 

